3 Ways We Can Get More Girls and Women in Tech

Folks, it’s important to support women in tech. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 68% of women enroll in college (compared to 63% of men), and women increasingly outnumber men in college graduation rates. Despite these stats, women still make up only a quarter of the tech industry workforce. And women who work in computer and mathematical occupations make 84 cents to every dollar a man earns, according to Narrow the Gapp.

Young girls get fewer chances to explore subjects like math or science, partly because of a lack of encouragement and also because of negative stereotypes about girls' technical abilities, according to CNET.

Another factor’s that when schools have tech programs, they’re often primarily targeting boys. In this NPR podcast, host Michael Martin talked to one tech woman, Ana Roca Castro, Founder of LATISM, which brings together Latinos in tech, innovation, and social media. Castro said that women’s hesitance toward getting into tech is as much of an issue in high school as it is in college. She talked about how starting college is intimidating enough, and being the only woman in a tech class full of men who make jokes and call women names isn’t exactly doing the job of encouraging women to pursue tech careers.

According to a recent reporting from the College Board, girls’ enrollment in AP Computer Science is as low as 14%, which makes it the most gender-skewed AP class in the country.

3. Foster an inclusive environment for women, no matter the workplace.

As mentioned before, having very few women in an office dominated by men tends to foster exclusive talk and a hostile environment. Everyone can do their part in making workplaces more welcoming–it could be as simple as trusting that a woman’s able to do her job and encouraging her to ask for promotions and negotiate salaries.

Folks, these stats aren’t something that should be taken lightly. To help out, I focus a lot of my philanthropic efforts toward supporting women-led startups and women in tech. You can find more about that here, which includes my work withWomen Who Tech.

My take is, until we make a conscious effort to encourage more women to go into tech, start offering equal pay, and really acknowledge the cultural biases that come with women in tech, we’re not going to get anywhere, and that’s not good enough…

One Comment

Don't be afraid to work your way up. I started as a temp at a Stanford Physics facility and 5 years later I was working in a control room job – running an Accelerator for Nobel Prize winning experiments. The job of my dreams – just retired after 40 years. For many years I was the only female among all men and I didn't notice most days. I lived for the day when more women would arrive. It was a great victory when they put 1 more stall in the women's restroom. Hopefully it is easier for all of you young women today. Everyday I drove into the Lab I was proud and loved my job. I spent much time learning physics on the job – a very specialized job. Keep working your way up and keep your eyes open and keep climbing. Coding is great but adapting to the environment and people skills are still "tech"
Best wishes to all of you.